Chapter 145: Establishing a Shrine to Receive the People's Incense
The people of Dongshan had long carried guilt in their hearts toward Fang Xun. The moment this elegy was published, it immediately stirred a powerful resonance among the masses.
Countless people copied it by hand, using it to offer distant memorials to Fang Xun.
As for the subtle literary techniques hidden throughout the essay, the deliberate omissions and restrained yet razor-sharp criticisms woven into its lines, who would bother to nitpick them now?
For one, Yin Fengshuo's downfall was already inevitable. Although he had indeed taken charge of disaster relief immediately after the catastrophe, not a single person now dared risk standing against overwhelming public opinion by speaking in his defense.
Secondly, the dead deserved respect. Fang Xun's sacrifice to save the people was an undeniable fact.
As for which side to stand on, the answer required no explanation.
The memorial essay spread throughout the region, its influence fermenting for two full days.
By the third day, surviving officials of every rank throughout Guling Commandery arrived one after another to pay their respects, each harboring thoughts of their own.
Beginning on the fourth day, scholars of the Confucian lineage, having heard the news, came from every direction despite the long and dusty journey.